Spirit-Touched
by DarkScales
Summary: The first Ladybug and Chat Noir weren't humans. They were dragons. And now, they're coming back.
1. Scarlet and Black

**...This is the product of me spending far too much time on Flight Rising. Oops. May or may not be continued; I don't know. Depends on the response I get, I suppose. Anyways, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug, etc.**

* * *

Her scales are a vibrant red like rubies, hide spotted black in sharp contrast. Insectoid wings lay flat against her back, shimmering iridescent in the moonlight. They buzz like a hummingbird when she flies, little more than blurs as she darts and dodges. For the moment, though, she is at rest. Her claws scrape quietly against the metal of the Eiffel Tower, shifting as she arches her neck to look out across the city.

 _Beautiful,_ Chat thinks, because that is what she is. Beautiful. Ladybug is elegance and grace combined with a sort of ethereal splendor all rolled into one, and nothing will ever convince him otherwise.

He sighs, a faint cloud of smoke issuing from the back of his throat at the movement. Ladybug is amazing, far more well-liked by the people than him. For a good reason, too- she's kind, and wonderful, and far better of a hero than he is. All Chat can do is break things, maybe set them on fire if the situation calls for it. He is chaos and destruction and bad luck, the polar opposite to Ladybug.

"Chat."

He startles, train of thought derailing as she turns to look at him. "Yes, My Lady?"

"You're unusually quiet," she says, concern obvious in her tone. "Are you alright?" Her tail flicks as she shifts closer, blue eyes trained on his.

"I'm fine," he replies, giving himself a mental shake. "Just thinking about how beautiful and amazing you are, My Lady."

Ladybug rolls her eyes at that, something that apparently dragons can do just as well as humans.

"You're such a flirt," she laughs, and rises to her feet. Her outstretched wings are like stained glass against the city lights, shimmering golden in the night. "Come on, Chat. We should finish our patrol."

Without another word, she takes two running steps and leaps over the edge of the tower, wings buzzing as she soars away. Chat doesn't hesitate to follow, his own batlike wings snapping out to catch the wind as he takes to the sky.

Freedom is a heady rush of exhilaration in his blood, the pounding of his heart as he dips and rolls and lets the air itself be his playground. He could never be like this as Adrien, species shift aside. That's why he savors this, drinks it all in as much as he can. Chat Noir can be wild and playful, take risks and pull daring stunts that give his Lady heart attacks. Chat Noir can be _free._

Ahead of him, Ladybug glances back over her shoulder, antennae waving in the wind. He grins, pulling up beside her as he flattens himself out for more speed.

"Race you to the Louvre?" he offers, as the top of the museum grows visible in the distance. Excess energy from the day, his fencing lesson having been cancelled due to a sick instructor, makes his body nearly vibrate with the desire to do _something._ A race, perhaps, could be just what he needs.

Ladybug grins back, eyes narrowing in challenge. "You're on!"

Wind shrieks against his ears, blocking out the sounds of the city. Lights blur into one continuous mass of yellow and white. The two of them become little more than red and black streaks against the sky, arrowing towards a pyramid of glass.

(It's a tie, in the end. But as they land, adrenaline fading to wobbly limbs and breathless grins, he looks at her and thinks-

 _Beautiful._ )

* * *

Everything starts with a ring. Then there's a strange little cat-like sprite creature, an ancient battle that's been waging for millennia upon millennia, and somewhere along the way Adrien gets turned into a dragon.

Yeah. The experience was just as weird as it sounds.

Things certainly take some adjusting, at first. Adrien's become an entirely different species with an entirely different set of limbs that he's got to figure out how to work with. Nothing is at all like he's used to. His center of balance is completely off. He's nearly twice his former height and is longer than a limousine from nose to tail. Figuring out how to move around on four clawed limbs without falling on his face was certainly an adventure, as was learning not to knock things over with his tail every time he turned around.

Then, there was the flying. That was an entirely different kettle of fish, and not altogether a pleasant one, either. Sure, flying was probably the greatest experience of his life once he got the hang of it, but before that? Flying was crash landings and furiously flapping wings and bruises all over. His entire back ached for _weeks._

Perhaps the best part of it all, though, was that he wasn't doing it alone. Ladybug had been with him every step of the way, fumbling through her own attempts at flight alongside his. Her technique was different, certainly, but simply the fact that he wasn't _alone_ made it that much better.

It took them a month, perhaps, before their kwami finally deemed their abilities "passable". Just in time, too, as barely a week went by before they had to fight their first akuma. During that battle, they probably caused as much accidental collateral damage as the supervillain himself, but Ladybug's Lucky Charm fixed it back up afterwards. Cataclysm, too, was introduced during that battle. With devastating effect.

Chat shudders a bit as he remembers how it felt, holding that much power between his claws. Knowing full well that one wrong move would be all it took to cause potential disaster. He saw what it did to solid steel. What kind of damage would it do, he wondered, on something more fragile? Like, for example, a living creature?

Thinking it through, he desperately hopes that he never has to find out.

* * *

"...Chat," Ladybug begins, soft and hesitant one night. "I've been having… some really, _really,_ weird dreams. Are you-?"

She doesn't finish, but she doesn't have to. He already knows exactly what she's talking about. Flashes of sapphire eyes and navy scales, a contrast to light jade and wings of pale gold. Dragons everywhere, filling the skies. Kwami of all different shapes and sizes their constant companions, tiny in comparison but powerful mages nonetheless. Magic running rampant across the world, saturating the Earth itself.

 _Spirit-touched,_ he thinks, and remembers cliff faces turned to dust as otherworldly power bubbles between his claws. Remembers fear and awe in equal measure, whispers and rumors that never quite went away.

Remembers another, the order to his chaos, the creation to his destruction, the blessing to his curse.

 _Spirit-touched,_ they said, but for her, those words had an entirely different meaning. And how could he resist, when she was the only other one who ever understood?

 _(We'll always have each other's backs. No matter what, we spirit-touched have to stick together, eh?_

 _Of course, My Lady. I'll be with you to the end.)_

"Yeah," Chat says aloud. "I know what you mean."

He's… relieved, almost, that it isn't just him. Yet, at the same time, it only makes him more unsettled. If they are both having these strange dreams, these strange visions that feel almost like memories, then… well, what if they're more than just dreams? Everything about them is impossibly familiar. The dreams all feel like deja vu, like rewatching a movie he hasn't seen since he was a child. It sounds crazy, but it's true.

Then again, everything about them is kind of crazy. They're teenagers who can turn into dragons that fight supervillains on a regular basis, after all. None of that is even _remotely_ normal.

Ladybug's wings buzz once against her back. "What do you think they mean?"

"Honestly? No idea," he tells her. "But, if it helps… they kinda feel like memories. Almost. It's really weird."

Yes. It _is_ weird, because just yesterday when he'd looked at Nino, he'd had the strangest glimpse of a cave filled to the brim with instruments of every type and shape. Somehow, despite the fact that none of them even actually existed (he'd tried to look them up, and found nothing) Adrien had still managed to recognize them for what they were.

Between one heartbeat and the next, however, the image was gone.

"...Memories, huh?" Ladybug sighs, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "Same here." Her eyes are distant, her expression inscrutable.

Chat Noir wonders what she saw.

* * *

 _Do you think they'll be the ones, Plagg? Do you think they'll be the ones to finally end this cycle of eternal war?_

 _...I think so, Tikki. I think they will._

 _Spirit-touched don't reincarnate for nothing, after all._


	2. Then and Now

**Um. Sorry that this took so long. All I can say is that life's been really busy. -_-'**

 **HUGE THANKS to Guest and StitchingUpShadows for reviewing! I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug, though I wish I did.**

* * *

There's a restless sort of hum beneath her skin, making her fidgety and on edge. She can't concentrate on anything now, not even designing. Every time she tries, all she can see are loops of silk draped over scales and finely-wrought jewelry glittering in firelight. Beautiful, to be sure, but every time she tries to put her visions to paper, they vanish. Evaporated, like early-morning fog over the Seine. It's starting to drive her a little nuts.

"Tikki," Marinette groans, head resting on her desk in defeat, "I can't do _anything._ Do you know what's going on?"

The kwami is suspiciously silent.

"Tikki?" Marinette raises her head, a niggling sense of worry at the back of her mind. "Is everything okay?"

"...You're fine, Marinette," Tikki assures her, but the hesitance before she says it is telling.

Marinette straightens in her seat. The niggling sense of worry is more like a blaring siren, now. On one hand, she knows that Tikki would be honest with her if it was anything that seriously affected her life or health. On the other hand, she thinks that Tikki knows more than she lets on, and it isn't as if she actually knows a lot about the little sprite's origins. Tikki is much older than five thousand years, she knows, but… how old is she, exactly?

"How old are you?" Marinette blurts, then goes crimson as she instantly regrets it. Oh, goodness, that was so rude and out of the blue! What was she thinking?!

It's too late to take it back, though. However, for some reason, Tikki doesn't look all that surprised. Sort of… resigned, perhaps, like she'd been expecting it.

"I don't remember exactly," she starts, "but if I had to guess, I would put it at somewhere around ten thousand or so. Maybe more. Time was measured differently, in those days."

Marinette's eyes go wide as she tries not to gape. _Ten thousand_ years? Or _more?_ How in the world had Tikki lived for that long?

"I'm older than most human civilizations," came Tikki's gentle reminder. "I've been around for a long, _long_ time."

And doesn't that raise a whole host of questions. Except, before Marinette can organize her thoughts enough to voice them-

Panicked screams shatter the night. Explosions powerful enough to make the windows rattle follow on their heels. In a flash, curiosity is shelved for later as Tikki vanishes into Ladybug's suit. Within minutes Ladybug is winging towards the source, heart in her throat as she watches black smoke rise in choking clouds.

She'll question Tikki more later. Right now, Ladybug has a job to do.

* * *

Transitioning from Chat Noir back to Adrien always makes him feel like he's losing something, somehow. Like he's stepping back from something great, something he shouldn't leave behind. Shrinking away into a lesser self.

It's irrational, really. Adrien can become Chat Noir anytime he likes, so long as Plagg is cooperative. He changes shape nearly every day, fighting akuma and soaring over the city on patrol. There are times when it feels like he spends more time as a dragon than as a human, though that certainly isn't anything he'd complain about.

Still, though. There's always that niggling sense that something's _missing_ when he's human, and it's only gotten stronger over time. He's too afraid to ask if Ladybug shares it. What if it's just him being weird? It's not as if they've got teachers or anything. There are no older heroes to help them, no gauge with which to tell what's normal and what isn't.

And the dreams. They're starting to invade the waking realm as well, half-remembered flashes and impressions that make every nerve in his body _itch_ with deja vu. He sees wilderness unlike any left in the world today, sees creatures unlike any that have ever been known to once exist. He sees wonders, he sees beauty, he sees fantastical feats of magic and power at every turn.

He sees the impossible made possible, and wonders if it's his sanity finally slipping away.

"Am I going crazy, Plagg?" he asks, voice muffled in his pillow as he collapses face-first into bed. Turning sideways, he looks at where Plagg is stuffing his face with cheese on his desk and repeats, "Seeing things like this can't be normal, right?"

Plagg freezes. Hesitates, too, before he speaks, and that alone is nearly answer enough.

"It's… well, it's definitely not common," he says, and Adrien can hear how carefully he's choosing every word. "But it isn't anything you should worry about, kid."

"But what do they _mean?_ " Adrien presses further, tone colored with urgency. They've been getting more and more intense as of late, clearer and clearer and becoming far closer to memories than he thinks should be possible.

"Nothing you should worry about," Plagg repeats. Which is so _wonderfully_ helpful and informative. _Not._

"Seriously, Plagg." Adrien narrows his eyes in an annoyed glare. His kwami does not meet them.

"I am serious!" Plagg protests. "Look, I know this is gonna sound weird, but… you'll know what they mean when you know what they mean. You know? You'll know 'em when you know 'em."

Adrien stares at him. "That doesn't make any sense."

Plagg sighs. "Well, it's the truth. Just… be patient, okay? I have a feeling you'll be finding out sooner rather than later anyways."

Adrien resists the urge to growl in frustration. Stupid cryptic kwami isn't giving him any solid answers…

* * *

They share dreams, some nights, though neither of them know it. Joint memories unearthed from the subconscious, nudged into place by magic as ancient as the land and sea resettling into old hosts. A bond once forged in fire and friendship reforms, strengthening day by day as twin souls fall back into well-worn patterns. Like old habits returning from a long absence, comforting and familiar.

They share dreams of battles, of training, of wings against the sun and silhouettes against the moon. They dream of games and laughter, of endless war, of joy and sorrow and everything in between. They dream of loyal friends and flock-mates standing steadfast at their backs, leading an army through the skies to clash against monsters under the command of an indistinct figure shrouded in darkness.

In the end, it all comes down to three. The hawkmoth, the ladybug, and the black cat. Circling, circling, in an endless fight that draws on and on until hardly anything is left. Because dragons don't fight like humans, not in the least. They are wild creatures of magic and strength, pitting fang against fang and claw against claw. They wreak havoc on the land and leave destruction in their wake, changing the course of rivers and cleaving valleys with their might.

But… even after the ladybug and black cat have won, the hawkmoth is corrupt and has misused forbidden magicks to cheat the cycle of life and death. They know he will rise again someday, however long it takes. And when he does… they will have to rise again to match him.

 _Find your Chosen,_ they (except this can't really be _them,_ right? Because this was _then,_ not _now,_ with millennia separating the two so how they possibly be the same) whisper to their companions, the quantic gods of disaster and luck. _Keep this world safe when we no longer can. Protect them. Guide them. Teach them to fight in our names, to push back the demons that prey on the innocent._

 _Find them. Teach them. Guide them. Promise us this, on your honor as kwami._ _ **Please.**_

 _...We promise,_ come the whispers, quiet and mournful. _We swear we will carry on your legacy. And… we'll wait for you. Always._

 _Thank you,_ they-of-now remember saying as they-of-then, and feel the ritual as old as time bind their very beings to physical objects in an irreversible act. They-of-then imbue the Miraculous with blood and power and all the magic they have left, and only when this is done do the ladybug and black cat allow themselves to fall.

( _We spirit-touched have to stick together,_ they-of-then think as one, and somehow those words feel more significant than they-of-now can possibly understand.)

* * *

 _Our Chosen are getting suspicious, Tikki. Adrien's starting to act more and more like his old self. I thought the assimilation was going to take years!_

 _I thought so too, Plagg. Marinette's been doing the same. She's realizing that I'm not telling her everything. They're remembering faster than I thought they would._

 _Why, do you think?_

 _Honestly, I have no idea. It's not as if this is a common phenomenon. Our Chosens' friends, too… they may not all be spirit-touched, but they're all special. It's no wonder they seem to have followed our Chosen into this life as well, eh?_

 _Ha, I suppose so._ _ **He's**_ _getting stronger, though. I can sense it. I have a feeling we'll be facing him in battle sooner rather than later. Better make sure our Chosen are ready._

 _Oh, don't worry about that, Plagg. When the day comes, Ladybug will finally help end Hawkmoth for good._

 _And Chat Noir will be prepared as well. Then… maybe, after all these centuries, we can rest._


	3. Revelation and Reincarnation

**...Wow, I actually haven't updated this story in... a long time. Um. Whoops. Sorry. ^.^'**

 **HUGE THANKS to marketeerbubbles for reviewing!**

* * *

In draconic culture, the gifting of a scale is highly symbolic. Scales are a dragon's armor; to give one freely to another is the equivalent of saying _You are close to me; I will protect you as if you were my own._

Ladybug and Chat Noir exchanged scales two and a half years into their partnership, after a particularly difficult battle against an akuma nearly set half of Paris on fire. It was almost fitting, then, that their gifts to each other as dragons would be what later revealed their identities as humans– protecting each other, even, because sometimes Fate just wants a good laugh.

"Get down!" Adrien cries, pulling Marinette with him to the ground as what looks like half a building flies overhead.

The akuma laughs, wild and fierce. Metal twists, crumples, and a car ends up in pieces. Marinette searches anxiously for a place to transform, somewhere that nobody else will see. But Adrien is still out in the open, having tugged her behind a fountain once the akuma started tossing things around. She can't just leave him-!

She almost doesn't realize it until Adrien gasps, staring at her neck, and that's when Marinette realizes that Chat's scale– turned into a pendant necklace, usually kept tucked beneath her shirt –has fallen free. She squeaks, grabbing it, but then–

" _Ladybug,_ " Adrien whispers, like it's a prayer, and rolls up his sleeve to reveal Ladybug's own red and black-spotted scale set on a leather armband.

Marinette gapes.

...Oh.

 _Oh._

* * *

The funny thing is, nothing much really changes. Well, barring major thing, at least.

Alya's excited yelling when Marinette told her that she was dating Adrien could be heard throughout the entire school.

(Chloe's furious screeching, on the other hand– that could be heard clear on the other side of Paris.)

* * *

"It's been three years," Ladybug says, and she holds herself like a battle-tested warrior. "Tikki thinks it's time we took this fight to him."

"Plagg says the same," Chat replies. There's no need to ask who _he_ is. They both know who she's talking about, after all. "But how?"

Ladybug curls her tail around her forelegs. "'Follow the magic,' apparently," she quotes. "But I don't know what that means."

Chat blinks. "'Follow the magic'? Yeah, I don't know what that means either. Maybe the kwami know?"

Ladybug shrugs. "I think we're meant to figure it out ourselves. And, um..." she hesitates, and all of a sudden Chat gets a nervous feeling prickling down his spine about what she's going to say next. "I think we should also talk about the memories."

"They _are_ memories, then?" Chat asks, because even after three years of these visions he's still not entirely sure. Not hallucinations, he knows that much, but not mere dreams either. There are too many for that, too many that are too consistent and too _achingly_ familiar.

"I'm pretty sure," Ladybug replies. "I think... I don't know. It sounds crazy. But then again, our whole lives are kind of crazy, aren't they?" She laughs to herself at that, ducking her head a bit.

"Well, you never know. Maybe your idea is right," Chat tells her. He has a sneaking suspicion that her conclusion will be the same as his, an idea he's been dancing around for what feels like forever. He's always been too afraid to really think about it, though, because what are the consequences? What if he _is_ right? What he really isn't who he thought he was, after all?

Ladybug huffs out a curl of smoke, grey wisps dissolving in the slight breeze that swirls around them. "I think," she says, "that we might have had past lives."

"Reincarnation," Chat echoes. "That... would explain a lot."

"Yes, it would," Ladybug sighs. And then she looks at him, something ancient in her eyes, and speaks a name that brings it all back in a rush of magic and the rest of the memories he was missing _snap_ into places like pieces of a puzzle, making him whole once more for the first time in a millennia.

Chat gasps, body going rigid. "I _remember,_ " he whispers, and looks at Ladybug and remembers her as someone else. Her true name does not translate to any human tongue, but a dragon's lips shape themselves into sounds almost without conscious thought.

Ladybug, who is also the _first_ Ladybug, angles her head and looks to the sky. " _We spirit-touched have to stick together,_ " she murmurs in the language of dragons. "It took a long time, but... the memories came back. I only remembered everything just this afternoon, really. And," she smiles at him, bright and warm against the night. "I'm glad you're back."

Chat grins back at her. "So am I, My Lady. So am I."

* * *

Of course, it's not until a few hours later that the true existential crisis hits. If he is Chat Noir, the _first_ Chat Noir, the dragon who hatched from an egg and was born with scales and wings and fire in his heart, then was he ever human in the first place? Was Adrien Agreste just a fake? A temporary life, until he could return to his true self? Or is he some mix of both now, human and dragon at the same time? Is that even possible?

Who _is_ he, really?

Plagg, naturally, is less than helpful. "It's not that complicated, kid," he yawns after watching Chat-or-Adrien-maybe-both pace for twenty minutes. "You used to be Chat Noir. Now, you're Adrien Agreste. So you can stop pacing already; it's making me tired just looking at you."

"Yeah, but Adrien and Chat were– are –almost opposite people. Which one am I?" the Miraculous wielder snaps, almost desperate. "Adrien, Chat, both?"

Plagg snickers. "Both seems like a good compromise." He seems highly amused by his charge's internal debate. "You can be a dragon with a human's heart or a human with a dragon's soul, you know. It's not unheard of."

"Wait." The pacing stops. "What?"

Plagg flicks his ears. "You and Ladybug aren't the first to reincarnate into different species than what you originally were, you know. Tikki and I, we're _gods._ We've seen a lot."

"...Oh." Green eyes stare, unblinking. "How did they deal with it?"

Plagg shrugs. "Like I said, you're both. You're Adrien and you're Chat; the two aren't mutually exclusive. You'll find some sort of middle ground eventually. Just give it time."

Adrien (because he's a human right now, and it's easier to think of himself by his human name just as he is Chat when he's a dragon) sighs. "Okay," he replies. "I'll try."

 _Just give it time, eh? Let's hope it works._

* * *

(What he doesn't know is that in a pink room over a small bakery many streets away, Marinette-or-Ladybug-maybe-both is going through something very similar with Tikki. The difference is that Tikki, being just about Plagg's opposite, is much more helpful.

"So I'm both?" Marinette asks, still unsure. "I remember being Ladybug, but now I'm Marinette, except _now_ I'm… what, some kind of combination of both?"

Tikki giggles. "Something like that," she says, comforting. "You're not the first; don't worry. You have to come to terms with both identities and find a good compromise, okay? You can be Marinette and Ladybug at the same time. Just– think of them like different aspects of the same person."

Marinette settles on her bed, gives a firm nod, and says, "Okay. I'll figure it out."

Tikki flies up to nuzzle herself against her wielder's cheek. "I know you will.")

* * *

"Follow the magic," Ladybug whispers to herself, soaring high above the city. "What does _that_ mean?"

And then, she sees it: a butterfly, poison-purple as it flutters below. The air ripples like a mirage from its passing, the dark magic imbued in it almost palpable, and all of a sudden it _clicks._

"Chat!" she cries, diving, "catch that butterfly!"

It's a testament to their trust in each other that Chat doesn't even hesitate, folding his wings and arrowing down by her side. It's fairly quick work for Chat to grab it in his claws, and a Lucky Charm conjures a large glass jar for them to trap it in.

"What for, Ladybug?" he asks as they alight on a nearby rooftop, head tilting curiously. "Not that I don't think it's a good idea to stop these things before they corrupt somebody, but I feel like there's more to this than that."

Ladybug grins, wide and sharp and full of teeth. "There is. I think I've figured out how to track down Hawk Moth."

Chat's eyes light up in excitement.

* * *

 _...Think we should tell them about the others? They already know about themselves anyway._

 _Perhaps. It might be a good idea to bring it up. They'll need all the help they can get to take_ _ **him**_ _down, after all._

 _Yeah. And, somehow, I don't think they'd be pleased if they found out on their own and realized that they got left behind…_


	4. Flightmates and Memories

**HUGE THA** **NKS to Kuro-Okami2588 for reviewing!**

 **...I remember when this was just supposed to be, like, 2K. Now it's twice that, and I swear the next part will be the end. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey!"

Ladybug doesn't quite _jump,_ because dragons don't really do that and besides, she's perched on the roof of the Notre Dame, but it's a close thing. Chat whips his head around, wings rising as his spine arches like a startled cat.

Alya hauls herself up onto the roof, hands (for once) empty of her phone. Ladybug squashes the urge to pick her up and fly her back down to solid ground because really, _how did she get up here._ _It is not safe. Alya, get back down there right now._ Except that is not an acceptable reaction because she is Ladybug right now, not Marinette, and people don't generally like being picked up without their permission.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir!" Alya walks right up to them, fearless as ever. "I have some questions for you two."

Ladybug and Chat blink at her in unison. "Sorry," Chat offers, "but this isn't really a good time for an interview." It really isn't, because they're in the middle of tracking down Hawk Moth, and they've only stopped for a brief rest before they get going again.

Alya scowls. "That's not what I'm after. I wanted to ask you about something else."

Ladybug frowns. Now that she looks closer, there's something troubling about the way Alya's holding herself. She's nervous, almost scared, tense in a way that Ladybug's never seen before. That isn't right. Alya is proud and confident, outspoken and brave. Whatever's going on is big, or Alya wouldn't be like this.

 _Wait,_ Ladybug signals to her partner with a shift of body language. Chat nods and settles back down, wings folding against his sides.

"What is it?" Ladybug asks.

Alya crosses her arms. "I've been having some weird dreams lately," she begins. "Dreams where, for some reason, I'm a dragon."

For a long moment, all Ladybug and Chat can do is stare at her in shock. Realization sets in a minute later, and simultaneously they realize–

 _We're not the only ones._

* * *

They don't tell her. Not yet. Not until they've confirmed their suspicions. Hawk Moth can wait for just a little longer, if what they think ( _hope_ ) is true.

"You said there were others. That we weren't the first reincarnated to remember past lives," Adrien says, heart stuck in his throat. "Is she-?"

Plagg smirks. "Your flight swore you two their loyalty. They were stubborn enough to follow you anywhere, gods know why." His smirk widens. "Even through the cycle of souls in life and death."

Tikki giggles. "Trixx is starting to awaken. The others won't be far behind, now. Just wait a few days, and you'll see."

A beat of silence.

"Oh _no,_ " Plagg groans in realization. "I'm going to have to deal with that stupid bee again, aren't I."

Even Tikki droops a little at that, as Adrien and Marinette frown and dig through millennia-old memories to figure out who that is. It only takes a few moments before…

"Chloe's a _dragon,_ " Adrien says, not sure if he should laugh or sigh. "That actually explains a lot."

* * *

True to the kwamis' predictions, Ladybug and Chat Noir only have to wait a few more days before Alya confronts them once more. This time, however, it's to make a request.

"I'm not the only who's been having dreams," Alya tells them. "It's almost my entire class. This isn't a coincidence, is it."

Ladybug and Chat exchange glances. "No," Chat replies. "It probably isn't."

Alya nods. "That's what I thought. So, I was thinking, it would probably be a good idea for us all to meet." She smiles at the dragons, hardly betraying a hint of her nerves. "After all, you guys know something about this, right?"

Ladybug inclines her head. They had prepared for this, and soon– _soon_ –they will have their flight back. The anticipation is all but making her wings buzz with excitement. She's been going through her memories to match the dragons she knew with her friends and classmates, and the remarkable similarities are rather amusing. Really, she doesn't know how they didn't realize it before.

"When and where?" she asks Alya, and Ladybug can see the beginnings of Trixx's power stirring as if from a long sleep. She can see the shadow of of the proud creature that Alya will become, bright-eyed and laughing as she tumbles through the air on nimble wings.

Alya blinks. It doesn't seem as if she'd expected her request to be accepted so easily. "The Eiffel Tower, tomorrow night at eleven. It won't look strange since you perch there all the time anyway."

Chat nods in approval. "Smart," he commends her. He rises to his feet, tossing Alya a draconic grin. "We'll see you there."

"Get home safe," Ladybug adds, standing as well, and in perfect unison the two spread their wings and leap into the sky. They circle once, just to make sure Alya gets down safely, then track her for perhaps a block before pulling away to finish their patrol.

( _They're gonna go nuts tomorrow,_ Adrien texts Marinette after they separate at the end of the night, accompanied by a ridiculous amount of laughing emojis.

 _I can't wait to see their faces,_ Marinette texts back, and clamps down on an excited squeal.)

* * *

"It's _cold_ up here!" Chloe complains, shivering in her short jacket that's more stylish than practical. "Really, Alya, of all the places–"

"What, like you had any better ideas?" Alix scoffs. "Should've worn a thicker jacket. Or, y'know, an actual jacket."

Chloe sniffs, crosses her arms, and pointedly looks away. "I'll have you know that this jacket is the _height_ of this season's fashion."

"Guys, be quiet for a minute. They're supposed to be here soon," Alya interrupts. She glances up to scan the skies, frowning a bit when they're empty of all but dark-washed clouds.

Somewhere in the distance, a clock tower chimes. Eleven strokes echo across the city, the wind sighs around them, and Ladybug and Chat Noir are nowhere to be seen.

Which, naturally, is the moment that twin shapes drop out of the clouds above, circle once around the tower to bleed off momentum, and spiral up to settle feather-light on the tip of the tower. Ladybug and Chat Noir just about gleam in the light that reflects off their scales, towering above the group of teens. It's an awe-inspiring sight, most of the class having never been this close to the city's heroes.

Even when the pair lie flat on the platform, Ladybug crossing her forepaws in a move that looks almost prim and Chat Noir sprawling out like a lazy cat, they're still taller than even Ivan. Not by as much, true, but enough.

"...So," Ladybug prompts after it becomes clear that they're all too busy gaping to say anything, "I heard you've all been having strange dreams?"

Alya, as their spokesperson, swallows hard. "Yes," she says. "We–" she glances at her classmates "–we've all been having the same dreams. About being… dragons. They seem connected, somehow."

Chat grins. "Well, that's because they are."

And then he and Ladybug lean against each other, take a breath, and the ancient language of dragons slithers from their lips. Names, all of them, a touch of power to draw out the magic lingering in old souls, and one by one their friends are reborn.

"Oh," they remember as one. " _Oh._ "

* * *

(Of course, with past memories comes the realization of who Ladybug and Chat Noir must be when they aren't wearing scales and wings and claws, and the fallout of _that_ is… explosive. Though, not necessarily in a bad way.

"You were Ladybug the whole time and you didn't _tell me?!_ " Alya groans. "Girl, I could've been getting exclusive interviews from the start! Why didn't you say anything?!"

Marinette laughs a bit. "Sorry, but it was supposed to be a secret. Um. Supposed to be, anyway."

Nino, meanwhile, flails with excitement. "Dude, _reincarnation?_ This is actually so cool! Like, I remember being a dragon for real! And you're a superhero, man! Awesome!"

Plagg sighs. "He never changes, does he."

Tikki laughs at him. "Oh, don't be like that. Relax, you'll see Russ soon enough."

At the mention of Nino's hyperactive canine kwami, Plagg hisses. "What makes you think I want to see that mutt?"

Tikki only folds her arms and raises a brow at him. "He's one of our best friends. Don't worry," she adds, "I miss him too." She grins, wide and bright. "We'll have him and Trixx back really soon, though. Along with all the others. It's been such a long time, Plagg! Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah," Plagg mutters sarcastically. " _Real_ excited."

But the barely-disguised eagerness behind his tone gives him away, and absolutely no one is fooled.)

* * *

 _...Now, finally, we can take the fight to Hawk Moth. His army won't stand a chance._

 _Against our warriors? No. And then–_

 _And then. We can finally,_ _ **finally**_ _have peace._


	5. The HawkMoth, the Ladybug, the Black Cat

**Thank you to sjsreader for reviewing! This is the last chapter, so thank you again to everyone who's stayed with me this far. Enjoy! ^.^**

* * *

"Wow, it is _weird_ to have a tail again," Alya remarks, rearing up to balance on her hind legs before dropping back down. Her wings are half-furled, light shining amber through the membrane that stretches thin across her bones. Her scales are fox-orange, underbelly paling to soft cream, with all four legs stark black up to the elbows and knees.

A little ways away, Nathaniel– vibrant red-purple colors patterning his scales in an odd contrast to his reserved personality –gives an experimental hop, wobbling as he coordinates an entirely different body than what he's used to. For all that they remember their past lives, muscle memory has acclimated to human bodies rather than draconian. The adjustment period has been… _interesting,_ to say the least.

"You'll get used to it," Marinette assures Alya, trying not to laugh.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Nino attempt to pounce on Adrien, with minimal success. All that Adrien as to do is slide out of the way, and Nino tumbles right past him to land in a heap. In the background, Alix hisses with laughter, already taking short glides across the warehouse floor. Her wings are long and narrow, pink splashed with lime green and streaks of black.

Nino, white-tipped tail lashing, scrambles back up to his feet. Dark brown spines trail down his back, edges accented blue. More stocky than Alya, he's still a bit gangly with youth, but he'll grow into his limbs eventually.

"Dude," Nino spins around and almost trips over himself, "how do you manage all those fancy tricks? I feel like I'm a hatchling all over again."

"Practice," Adrien grins. "Lots and lots of practice. Get used to falling on your face."

Nino sighs. "Great."

* * *

It is a clear autumn day in Paris, and on the horizon brews a storm.

Ladybug and Chat Noir have tracked their captured butterfly back to Hawk Moth's lair, and soon, their flight will storm the metaphorical castle. First, though…

"Whatever happens," Ladybug says, soft yet loud enough to carry, "I just wanted to say– it was an honor, knowing you all again."

"What she said," Chat Noir adds, signature grin in place. It's more brittle than usual, though, as all of them remember what happened the last time they clashed with Hawk Moth's forces.

 _This time, it'll be different,_ Ladybug vows to herself. _This time, we'll_ _ **win.**_ _For good._

Alix rolls her shoulders, tail lashing in anticipation. "You sound like we're gonna die," she laughs, and bares her teeth in a terrifying facsimile of a smile. "Have a bit of faith, hm?"

"Yeah, don't worry about us. Hawk Moth is going _down,_ " Kim chimes in, claws curling over the edge of the rooftop.

Alya knocks companionably against Ladybug's side. "It's been an honor knowing you too," she replies, "and it'll be an honor to keep on knowing you for the rest of our lives. Today, we're gonna fight, and we're gonna _win._ "

Ladybug ducks her head, lips twitching despite herself. "Okay, okay." She looks back. "Is everyone ready?"

There is a chorus of affirmatives.

Well, then there's nothing else to do but begin. Ladybug shares a glance with Chat Noir, takes a step, and roars with wings outstretched. Her partner and their flight take up the battle cry, the sound of it echoing across the city like war drums. As one, they crouch, leap–

And, for the first time in millennia, the sun is blotted out by a full flight of dragon's wings.

As per the plan, they circle and swoop around Hawk Moth's lair, announcing to all of Paris that they have returned. If he hadn't been alerted by their war cry, then his attention would've most certainly been caught by how they are flaunting themselves on his doorstep. They planned to draw him out so that they could fight on their own terms, fight him in open skies where they would have all the room they needed to maneuver.

Sure enough, the building seems to shudder, pulse with violet energy, and a swarm of lavender-white butterflies bursts out. There are so many that they fill the air in dense clouds, obscuring vision and spreading across the city in a pale mass. None of them, however, are coated in the dark poison that creates akuma. None of them can infect a person's heart, not unless Hawk Moth lends his own power to their blank wings.

The butterflies are a distraction.

They've taken him by surprise, and the butterflies are a _distraction._ Thank the spirits above that they won't have to face armies upon armies of akuma this time. Ladybug and Chat Noir had been quietly worried about that.

After a few moments, the butterflies disperse. There are fewer of them than Ladybug would have expected, but, then again, Miraculous wielders have been whittling at his forces ever since their first lives fell. Hawk Moth could never recapture every purified akuma butterfly, and now he is down to a shadow of what he once had. That's good, very good. The Miraculous flight's numbers are lesser than they had been before as well, but despite that, they will still be able to fight on even ground. What they lack in numbers they make up in sheer stubbornness and strength, after all.

Then, out of nowhere, the top of the building explodes.

Actually, that's not quite the right word. It doesn't _explode_ so much as _vaporize,_ turning to dust as a massive shape bursts out into the sun. Hawk Moth is a giant, even among dragons, and he doesn't seem to have changed all that much from what they remember. Amethyst scales ripple, hateful eyes narrow, lips peel back to reveal jagged teeth like sword blades.

" _You,_ " he snarls, and his tone is all venom. "You're the first ones. But I _killed_ you."

"Yeah, well, it didn't quite stick," Chat Noir chirps, kitten-playful despite how his eyes are narrowed to toxic slits. "You, on the other hand…"

Hawk Moth is surrounded. A handful of poison-dark butterflies flit around him, but even as his eyes dart to the human onlookers below, he realizes that creating any new akuma would only be a petty distraction. He doesn't have enough butterflies to outnumber the Miraculous flight, so he snarls and pulls that power back into himself. The butterflies stagger in the air as they bleed white, then fly off to join their brethren that are beating a hasty retreat in the distance. Hawk Moth, however, is at full strength.

The massive dragon tosses his head. Time has made him arrogant, secure in his power. "This time, I'll finish the job and rip your souls to _shreds,_ " he promises, low and vicious.

Ladybug laughs in his face. "I'd like to see you try," she shoots back. Wings buzzing, she rockets straight up and dives in a head-on attack, screaming out a war cry.

Hawk Moth meets her with all his dark magic brought to bear. Their wings tangle, jaws snapping at each other as Luck meets Corruption in an explosion of crimson and violet. There is a jewel set into the divot of Hawk Moth's throat, into the dip of his collarbone just above his chest, and outlining it are pearl-colored scales in the shape of elongated butterfly's wings. Her claws lunge for it, remembering that this is the source of the unholy power that's kept him alive for all these years. If only they could destroy the jewel–!

Ladybug sees the tail that whips for her head a second too late, but before it can impact her head, a black streak slams into Hawk Moth full-tilt. Ladybug takes the opportunity to disengage, because now she can sense that the jewel is protected with iron-solid wards that would make her claws slide right off. She's smaller than Hawk Moth, too, and knows that she can't match him in a fight of raw strength.

Luckily, though, she's not alone.

"Get the jewel in his chest! It's the source of his power!" Ladybug commands, and her flight answers.

A series of high, clear notes ring out, and five illusory copies of Alya shimmer into attack formation. Orange-white-black flashes spiral out, filling the air as they hide how Rose darts out with Juleka on her wing. Midnight-purple and peach-pink lights flare, Hawk Moth faltering as he chokes on a sickly sweet cloud. The other dragons give him a wide berth as the glittering powder drifts into his eyes, Alix manipulating the winds to keep it contained around him. While that prevents him from going very far, Nathaniel draws a few quick lines into the air, breathes life into it, and sends down a flock of ink-crows that harry Hawk Moth and chip away at the jewel's wards.

Ivan takes the opportunity to slam down on Hawk Moth like a rockfall, not quite matching Hawk Moth in size but making up for it in momentum. They plummet out of the sky and impact the half-vaporized tower with Ivan coming out of it on top, unscathed. Hawk Moth is less lucky. Ivan deliberately angled them so that Hawk Moth would land at an angle, snapping one of his delicate wings. Toxic power crawls up to engulf it, setting the bones back into place, but now he's favoring his other side– and that makes him vulnerable.

Nino swoops down, jaws parted wide as a sonic screech makes Hawk Moth cry out. He's cut off with a startled yelp when the larger dragon lunges, jaws clamping down on his tail and dragging him down, but Kim tackles Hawk Moth to knock him away. Max is right behind Kim, electricity sparking around his claws, and there's a deafening _CRACK-BOOM_ as he calls down a literal bolt from the blue that Hawk Moth only halfway manages to dodge.

Hovering above the scene, Chat Noir lets out a low whistle. "Man, I forgot how vicious they were."

Ladybug laughs. "What, would you rather they weren't?"

Chat Noir watches Hawk Moth leap back into the air after tossing Rose into a building, only to be met with one of Chloe's stingers to the face. Chat winces on reflex, because while he's definitely not sympathetic, that looks like it _hurt._

"Nah," he says. "This is good."

Sabrina takes Hawk Moth's moment of distraction to dart in, invisible but for the faint ripple in the air that marks her presence. She taps Mylene, who fades invisible herself, which lets Mylene get close enough to spit some sort of sticky putty that covers Hawk Moth's eyes and glues his jaws shut.

It won't hold, but it's exactly the opening that Chat Noir needs.

Cat-quick, Chat flies into the fray, dodging snapping teeth and swiping claws and beating wings. Destruction bubbles around him, oil-dark bubbles coalescing as reality itself seems to warp. His flight covers him and keeps Hawk Moth immobilized, just long enough for the largest Cataclysm he's ever mustered in this second life to pierce home.

The already-weakened wards crumple like wet paper beneath him, and Cataclysm turns the butterfly jewel to dust.

Hawk Moth falls. He drops from the sky like a stone, utterly limp, and–

Just before his body hits the ground, it dissolves into a swarm of white butterflies.

Ladybug closes her eyes. Finally, _finally,_ he is gone.

They are free.

* * *

The very next day, Paris is in shock.

The battle had been quick, but awe-inspiring. It hadn't just been Ladybug and Chat Noir; counting Hawk Moth, a total of _fifteen_ _dragons_ had been documented in the fight. _Fifteen._ The number was unprecedented. Never had so many dragons been seen at once, not in millennia.

Naturally, rumors abound.

 _Where did they come from?_ reporters ask, sitting in front of clips of the battle that are being replayed on news stations all over the city. _Who are the unknown ones? Where did they go?_

 _Are they coming back?_

Meanwhile, fourteen teenagers chatter amongst themselves before class, cheerfully ignoring the chaos of the world outside. To tell the truth, they don't even know all the answers themselves. Now that Hawk Moth is gone, is there really any need for superheroes in Paris? What are they to do, without akuma to battle? What will happen next?

None of them know for sure.

But those are decisions for another day. For now, they relax, fall back into being regular teenagers, and live their lives. The first time around, those of the Miraculous flight had been forced to grow up too soon, too fast as war crashed down on them, but…

This time, things are different.

After all, the point of reincarnation is getting a second chance. None of them are about to waste it.

* * *

 _Hawk Moth himself was stronger than before, but it didn't feel like it._

 _Well, that's because he didn't have armies with him this time. We underestimated how much of his power was devoted to simply keeping himself alive, overestimating how much he had to spare for his akuma._

 _Mm, I suppose he did. Fourteen against one… some might've called that cheating, but I think it was good odds. And, this time, we didn't have to lose anybody._

 _Yes. We finally did it, after all this time. We can rest now, you know._

 _...At last._

 _Good night, Tikki._

 _Good night, Plagg._

(We'll see each other again in the morning.)


End file.
